Goetze scores late to give Germany the World Cup

Germany's Mario Goetze (19) celebrates with Thomas Mueller after scoring his side's first goal in extra time against Argentina's goalkeeper Sergio Romero during the World Cup final soccer match between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday.

RIO DE JANEIRO >> With two quick and sublimely deft touches, Mario Goetze ended Germany's 24-year wait for another World Cup title.

Goetze
scored the winning goal in extra time to give Germany a 1-0 victory
over Argentina on Sunday in a tight and tense World Cup final that came
down to a few moments of individual skill.

Goetze, who wasn't born
when West Germany beat Argentina in the 1990 final, controlled a cross
with his chest in the 113th minute and in one fluid motion volleyed the
ball past goalkeeper Sergio Romero and inside the far post from five
yards out.

It was a goal that gave Germany its fourth World Cup
title in its eighth final, and left Argentina star Lionel Messi still
walking in the shadow of his compatriot Diego Maradona, who led his
country to the 1986 title.

Goetze went on as a substitute for
Miroslav Klose toward the end of regulation time and the 22-year-old
midfielder's fresh legs made the difference.

Andre Schuerrle broke
down the left flank, sending his cross into the area, and the Bayern
Munich player did the rest with a clinical finish. The goal echoed that
of Andres Iniesta's four years ago, when the midfielder scored in
similar fashion but from the other side of the area to give Spain a 1-0
extra time win over the Netherlands.

"It's incredible. The team
did it beautifully," said Manuel Neuer, who was voted the tournament's
best goalkeeper. "At some point we'll stop celebrating but we'll still
wake up with a smile."

For Germany, the win ends a string of near
misses since winning its last major title at the 1996 European
Championship. The team lost the 2002 World Cup final to Brazil and lost
in the semifinals in both 2006 and 2010.

Argentina had not been back in the final since that 1990 loss, and has now been beaten by Germany in the last three World Cups.

"This
was our chance, and we felt that way. We couldn't do it. We have to
lift our head and suffer the pain," Argentina midfielder Javier
Mascherano said. "Obviously, the pain is tremendous. We wanted the cup
for Argentina."

It is Germany's first World Cup title as a unified
nation, having won as West Germany in 1954, 1974 and 1990. It was also
the third World Cup final between these countries and had been billed as
a matchup between the perfect team and the perfect individual, pitting
Germany's machine-like unit against the brilliance of Messi, the
four-time world player of the year.

But in the biggest game of his career, Messi came up short.

He
had one good chance to score when he was sent free in the area just
after the halftime break, but sent his shot wide of the far post. It was
a difficult angle, but still the type of chance he so often converts
for Barcelona.

Messi threatened intermittently throughout the
match, but was effectively neutralized for long stretches. When he did
try to break forward with one of his quick dribbles, he was surrounded
by the German defense.

His free kick in the 120th minute went well high.

When
the final whistle blew, Germany players jumped on top of each other in a
pile in the middle of the pitch, while Messi walked alone with his
hands on his hips toward the center circle.

Messi, who scored four
goals in the group stage but none in the knockout rounds, then had to
trudge alone up the stairs of the Maracana Stadium to accept the Golden
Ball award for the tournament's best player, shaking hands with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel along the way.

Shortly afterward, the
German team made its way up the stairs for captain Philipp Lahm to raise
the hallowed 18-carat gold trophy as confetti rained down and fireworks
exploded in the sky.

"It's incredible how hard we worked and what a performance we produced," Lahm said. "It's an incredible feeling."

Up
until Goetze's winning goal, the game was more notable for top-class
defending than creative attacking, but both teams had their share of
chances -- especially in the first half.

Gonzalo Higuain was gifted
a free chance when Toni Kroos' back header landed at his feet and left
him all alone with Neuer. However, he sent his shot woefully wide.

Higuain
thought he had scored in the 30th after Messi picked out Ezequiel
Lavezzi with a great ball and he sent a cross in toward the Napoli
striker. Higuain slotted his finish inside the far post and ran to the
corner flag in celebration before realizing he had been called for
offside.

Shortly afterward, Germany was forced to use a
substitution as Christoph Kramer had to go off with a suspected
concussion after colliding with Ezequiel Garay's shoulder earlier in the
game. Kramer had continued playing but looked visibly dizzy as he was
led off the field. Kramer, who was a late inclusion in the lineup after
Sami Khedira was injured during the warmup, was replaced by Schuerrle.

Germany's
best chance in regulation time came just before the halftime break when
Benedikt Hoewedes hit the post with a header from a corner.

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